Neoliberalism and the End Of Shorter Work Hours
Posted by Jeff on January 26th, 2012
Christoph Hermann | Socialist Project | While in previous crises shorter work hours were discussed as a measure to combat growing unemployment, an astonishing feature of the current economic downturn from 2007 on was that work time reductions were nowhere on the political agenda.
January 27th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Maybe they should try outlawing power tools or computers. Building by hand and doing math on paper would certainly increase demand for workers.
February 12th, 2012 at 11:59 am
It is about the workers realizing the benefits of increased productivity (through decreased work hour, decrease strain, and maintenance of pay and benefits), which used to be the promise of innovation and growths in efficiency. As an individual worker, why would you accept increased efficiency if it just means you have to work harder for less pay? We want increased efficiency and increases in innovation, but those gains need to be shared with those that are producing those efficiencies.
It is a question of where the benefits go: to profits or to the benefit of the workers. To ask workers to work hard for the benefit of someone else runs counter to your ideology of individualism, so I am unsure of your opposition to this. The statement above is unhelpful in this discussion on efficiency.
For clarity: no one on the left is asking for things as you are suggesting them. We are interested in fairness and a better life for all people.